Operation Sankalp

The utilisation of a blue-water navy relies on its intrinsic characteristics such as reach, flexibility, and visibility. The actions carried out by a country's naval forces to advance its national interest reflect both the nation's interests and political objectives. The Persian Gulf plays a significant role in India's maritime trade with West Asia. In the fiscal year 2019–2020, India imported about US$66 billion worth of oil from this region, making up 62 per cent of its total oil imports. The trade between India and West Asia during that time stood at US$108.2 billion in imports and roughly US$51 billion in exports. These numbers constitute 8.1% and 11.4% of India's total exports and imports, underscoring the importance of Operation Sankalp led by the Indian Navy. ==Early deployments==

From June 2019 to May 2021, fleet of 20 Indian warships were deployed under Operation Sankalp to safeguard the journey of over 200 Indian Flag Vessels transporting more than 21 million tonnes of cargo in the IOR. India enacted its anti-piracy legislation as the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act 2022, on 20 December 2022 criminalising maritime piracy and empowering the Indian Navy and other government agencies with the authority to respond to threats at sea. In 2024, the then Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar referred to the new law as a "great enabler" in the navy's anti-piracy success. In regular circumstances, this deployment would have been considered as a standard procedure. Nevertheless, during the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Indian Navy's capability to deploy its warships demonstrated their exceptional operational readiness and availability. This also highlighted the stringent protocols and mechanisms implemented by the Indian Navy to minimise the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on their personnel, thereby ensuring uninterrupted deployments and operations. Consequently, in addition to their continuous anti-piracy patrols and Op-Sankalp, the Indian Navy effectively executed numerous deployments and operations. == 2023–24 ==

On 14 December 2023, Operation Sankalp was re-initiated to ensure the security of the regional maritime domain due to the Red Sea crisis and sudden increase in marine pirate activities. The Indian Navy on 31 December 2023 said it had deployed P-8I Neptune and the SeaGuardian drones, following the distressed faced by two merchant vessels, MV Ruen and MV Chem Pluto which were targeted in the sea. MV Ruen was hijacked (later rescued by INS Kolkata) while MV Chem Pluto sustained drone hits eventually and making way to port. The Indian Navy deployed a large flotilla of destroyers to safeguard international security. The deployment into the Arabian Sea included missile destroyers, including INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Chennai and INS Visakhapatnam, almost its entire modern destroyer fleet of its Western Fleet. INS Kolkata was deployed at the mouth of the Red Sea, INS Kochi on the south of Yemen's Socotra Island, INS Mormugao in the west Arabian Sea with INS Chennai in the central Arabian Sea. INS Visakhapatnam was also moved in a week later and was tasked to patrol the north Arabian Sea. == 2025 ==

With tensions arising in the middle east following a United States buildup of ships between December 2025 and March 2026, multiple Indian naval assets were deployed across the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea , Southeast Asia and the central Indian Ocean,aimed at boosting naval diplomacy efforts. == 2026 ==

While the Iran conflict begun, an Indian Navy destroyer and a frigate was kept deployed in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden under Operation Sankalp. As on 2 March, India was "closely monitoring" the situation while the warships could be immediately diverted for HADR operations, as per a senior defence official.On 10 March, The New York Times reported that the Indian government was evaluating options to escort the Indian-flagged vessels that were stuck near the crisis-hit Strait of Hormuz. As of then, there were 36–38 such vessels with 1,100 sailors, all of which were safe with the crew members having sufficient provisions. The ships are complying to "enhanced safety protocols" including reporting to authorities at a higher frequency. Indian ship owners had requested to government for naval escorts. . Unlike the passive monitoring protocols seen in previous years, the Navy implemented close-protection escorts for India-flagged Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil tankers. Through back-channel negotiations led by the National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, India may have secured an informal guarantee from Tehran for the safe passage of Indian vessels, provided they are escorted by Indian naval assets and do not carry coalition materiel. The Navy provides critical precise instructions to each ship through the Iran-controlled route, closer to the Iran coast than the official shipping lanes. India was also among the five nations, including China, Russia, Iraq and Pakistan whose ships were allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz. This was announced by the Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi on 26 March. ==Achievement==

Due to the impact made in addressing maritime challenges, preventing the resurgence of piracy, and significantly decreasing drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean Region, as well as in protecting India's maritime concerns, the Indian Navy's strategic response, creativity, and unwavering determination during the continuous maritime security operations under 'Op Sankalp' have garnered international recognition. As of March 2024, the Indian Navy has demonstrated its dedication to guaranteeing the maritime safety and security by escorting about of vital commodities under transit in the region and has given over 450 merchant vessels confidence from being present in the IOR. It has a remarkable record of saving over 110 lives which includes 45 Indian seafarers. The Indian Navy has apprehended contraband and approximately of narcotic drugs. == See also ==